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Gustave Le Bon

Gustave Le Bon Quotes

Social Psychologist

Gustave Le Bon (May 7, 1841 - December 13, 1931) was a French social psychologist, considered one of the pioneers in the field of social psychology. His research focused on the psychology of crowds and collective behavior, and his book 'The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind' had a profound impact on the development of social psychology.

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Famous Gustave Le Bon Quotes

“In the case of everything that belongs to the realm of sentiment, religion, politics, morality, the affections, and antipathies, etc. The most eminent men seldom surpass the standard of the most ordinary individuals.”

Book:The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

Source: The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

“To the Jacobins of this epoch [the French Revolution], as well as to those of our times, this popular entity constitutes a superior personality possessing attributes peculiar to the gods of never having to answer for their actions and never making a mistake. Their wishes must be humbly acceded to. The people may kill, burn, ravage, commit the most frightening cruelties, glorify their hero today and throw him into the gutter tomorrow, it is all the same; the politicians will not cease to vaunt the people's virtues and to bow to their every decision.”

People Crowds Proletariat French Revolution The Masses Will Of The People Jacobin Politics

Book:The Psychology of Revolution

Source: The Psychology of Revolution

“The images evoked by words being independent of their sense, they vary from age to age and from people to people, the formulas remaining identical. Certain transitory images are attached to certain words: the word is merely as it were the button of an electric bell that calls them up.”

People Age Certain Atheism Independent Positive Atheism Formulas Bells Electric Buttons Identical Vary Transitory

Book:The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

Source: The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

“All the civilizations we know have been created and directed by small intellectual aristocracies, never by people in the mass. The power of crowds is only to destroy.”

People Knows Has Beens Civilization Mass Intellectual Crowds Aristocracy

Author:Gustave Le Bon

“Crowds are somewhat like the sphinx of ancient fable: It is necessary to arrive at a solution of the problems offered by their psychology or to resign ourselves to being devoured by them.”

People Problem Psychology Solutions Ancient Crowds Fables Sphinx

Book:The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

Source: The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind